Why The First Episode Of Season 2 Of ‘Queer Eye’ Is So Emotional

SPOILER ALERT: This story contains descriptions of the plot of episode one of Queer Eye, season two. Scroll down at your own peril.

Last season, I told you that the first episode of Queer Eye was the best of the season. And I’m back to tell you that, by George, those Netflix boffins have done it. They’ve gone and made an even better first episode for season two, one that packs a huge emotional punch.

It makes sense, I suppose. If you don’t hook viewers in from the first episode you’re unlikely to get them bingeing all the way to episode eight. Last season Netflix made sure that you were glued to your iPhone, watching Queer Eye, by introducing you to the new Fab Five and their fizzy, electric chemistry as well as Grandpa Tom, the adorable 50-something-year-old with Lupus and an affinity for redneck margaritas.

In the first episode of the second season, Queer Eye doubles down: They up sticks for the town of Gay, Georgia, where they are about to do a first. The Fab Five are about to makeover a woman. (“I haven’t done a lady in years,” Antoni deadpans, which, in case you’re wondering, is the exact moment that my heart was broken in two.)

The Queer Eye Fab Five give famous Aussie men a makeover1:46

The cast of Queer Eye on Netflix give quick make over tips to some of our well known Aussie gentlemen.

June 8th 2018

7 months ago

Their subject for the episode is Miss Tammye, a cancer survivor who wants help transforming her beloved Church Hall in advance of homecoming, a community celebration hoping to entice some of the younger residents back into the fold. It will be her first homecoming since the death of her mother, who was diagnosed with cancer alongside Miss Tammye and one of her sisters. It’s also the first homecoming since her 22-year-old son Miles has moved home.

Miles is a keen singer who grew up belting out hymns in the church choir. He’s friendly, charming and connects instantly with Karamo. Miles is gay, and he feels alienated from the community that his mother holds so dearly. For her part, his mother is desperate for forgiveness for the way she treated Miles when he came out to her when he was 14.

A warning: I cried for almost the entire duration of this episode and about 20 minutes afterwards. The crying started when the Fab Five take a look inside the church. Bobby, the emotional anchor of this show, who grew up in a deeply religious town of nine people, hasn’t entered a church since he ran away from home after coming out as a teenager. The relationship between religion and the gay community is fraught at best and downright violent at worst. “I don’t like being involved in the Church because there’s so much hate towards gays and I have a hard time making peace with it,” Bobby says, a strained look on his face.

Later, he sits and talks to Tammye about why he feels the way that he does. Tearing up, he tells her that: “I grew up religious… Those people were my family… I’d be down there at that altar every Sunday just begging God to not make me gay. And once everyone found out they completely turned their back on me.” I defy you not to cry listening to those heartfelt words.

It's more emotional than all of season one. Photo: 'Queer Eye'Source:Whimn

But that’s only the start of it. The twin pillars of emotion in this episode are Bobby and Miles, both gay men and choirboys growing up isolated and lonely in a small town in the American south. When Bobby and Karamo take Miles to the Atlanta Gay Chorus, my heart swelled to see Miles quite literally open up – standing straight, holding his head high and proud – as he sings along to their repertoire at the top of his voice.

It’s perhaps over-simplifying things to look at this episode as an easy, neat solution to all centuries and centuries of aggression and hurt inflicted on the gay community by the church. But Miss Tammye’s sermon at the end of the episode about loving her son and welcoming him home is powerful. Miles deciding to attend homecoming after all, gripping his mother’s hand tightly as he walks into the church is a powerful image. Miss Tammye’s words to the Fab Five as she bids them goodbye are powerful.

It’s because of God that she was lucky enough to have this experience, she explains. “He already made provisions because he knew you guys would end up together,” she says, as Antoni bursts into spontaneous, body-wracking sobs. (Me too.) “Come here Antoni my baby,” Tammye says, enveloping him in a huge hug. “You continue to let God use you baby. Food is the way to the heart and more importantly the soul. You keep feeding the soul okay?”

Each man gets his own special message. To Tan – “Mr Glam,” she calls him – she stresses the importance of making things beautiful. She reminds Karamo of his power as a role model to “lots of little boys who look like you.” Jonathan’s “spirit is pure”, she says, praising him for helping everyone. Bobby tells Tammye that he might be ready to let go of some of the resentment that he has towards the Church that turned its back on him. “Not everyone out there that claims to be Christian is good, but there are a whole lot out there that are,” Bobby says.

Over the course of the episode we never see Bobby enter the Church, but nevertheless he does what Bobby does best and puts so much blood, sweat and tears into outfitting the community centre for the benefit of the congregation. He paints, he decorates, he cordons off spaces for children to play and the older generation to sit and talk.